This course on the “age of Shakespeare” examines the society and culture of late Tudor and early Stuart England―-as part of the general attempt today to situate the playwright and his works concretely in time and place. While the seminar will involve group reading and interpretation of only a few of the plays themselves, its larger goals are to enable us as playgoers and readers to locate Shakespeare’s works culturally, to appreciate their purposes and agency in his society, and to address the thorny issues of their popular appeal and scholarly interpretation later. Thus readings and discussions will concern the poet’s biography, English social and cultural life, the status and working conditions of actors and playwrights, patronage and politics, popular and elite cultures of the period, Shakespeare’s audiences and the later reception of his works, as well as various scholarly or critical approaches to studying and teaching Shakespeare historically.

Course requirements include active participation in seminar discussions, an oral and short written report on an important book or scholarly debate, and a final paper of roughly twenty pages. Students may choose writing projects that match their own interests or places in the graduate program: a research paper or a critical review of the comparative and analytical kind helpful for preparing doctoral exam fields.